TALLAHASSEE – One year ahead of schedule, two
brothers met today in the Oval Office and made a pact that
ensures adequate water will be made available to save
America’s Everglades.
President George W. Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush
signed an agreement that will reserve water for environmental
restoration under state law as a condition to receiving
federal money to pay for half of the $8 billion project.
The major beneficiaries are the resources of Everglades
National Park, the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, the
10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and the Water
Conservation Areas, as well as the 68 endangered and
threatened species that call the Everglades home. The
remaining water will be available for the region’s water
supply needs.
The water necessary for the natural system will be
identified during the design of the 68 individual projects
that make up the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
Additionally, the agreement assures that these reservations
will be continually monitored and assessed for their
effectiveness.
"The quality and the quantity of water available are both
critical to our success," said Governor Bush. "Just one month
ago we proposed a protective phosphorous standard for the
quality of water to be delivered to the Everglades protected
area and now we have the assurance of sufficient quantity. I
am equally pleased that we have accomplished this important
part of restoration 11 months early. It has been under
discussion for several months, but once the water quality
question was addressed, the allocation portion came together
quickly."
An average of 1.7 billion gallons of fresh water is
currently diverted to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico
on a daily basis. Everglades restoration will recapture that
water for ecosystem restoration and future water supply.
"I don’t believe there are any other examples in
environmental history where a governor has made such a
sweeping, up-front reservation of water for environmental
protection, " said Florida Department of Environmental
Protection Secretary David B. Struhs. "And I know that never
before have a governor and a president – let alone two
brothers signed such an agreement. America’s Everglades have
been well served."
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Press Office
